Let’s start with something entirely too ironic to be left out of this review: Allan Quartermain, and that series of late nineteenth century novels. The fact that many adventure films, games, and protagonists owe their concepts and very existences to Quartermain and that this particular game centers on one of Quartermain’s grandsons is entirely too ironic to not be mentioned. Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, Uncharted, you name it. This terribly flawed game strikes a ‘bargain’ with gamers- promising to bring them a hearty adventure story with all the fine-tuned elements of a modern first person shooter and with a thinking man’s game of puzzles, only to ape other games and take your fifty or so dollars and leave you pretty much empty handed.

Since the story doesn’t try very hard and ultimately takes a back seat on the back burner for the duration of the story mode campaign, all you need to really know about the protagonist is that he is a Quartermain, and of relation to the ‘great’ Allan Quartermain as well, on down the line a ways. This less canny and cool Quartermain globe trots and embarks on a very misinformed quest for something obviously belonging to Indiana Jones’ series- one Heart of Atlantis, which reminded me heavily of the still-better Staff of Kings game… But I digress. In typically Indy fashion, you’ll encounter period-centric Nazis out for your blood, mummies straight from The Mummy Series, and even on a pretty much copied train scene from that movie, and for added measure- copying off of both Mummy and Indy Jones, Arab thieves and pickpockets as well! This game’s description may as well have been, “copy all elements from every other adventure saga and FPS out there.”

Basically, Quartermain is an extremely watered-down and very much less-cool Nate Drake as well, because his specific female companion in this adventure is one Jennifer something or another. Basically, she has the cliched attitude of “I’m coming and that’s final,” and Quartermain “grudgingly” goes along with it, although we all know how that will probably end. The dialogue is atrocious, as is, fittingly, the talent on the part of the voice actors as well. So don’t expect the telling of the story to be very strong either. In fact, just go ahead and forget about the entire story and just shoot whoever pops up in front of you, make your way as quickly as possible through the campaign, and put the game down and proceed to cry. The fact that Quartermian and crew try to “break the fourth wall’ a bit and joke about the cliched script only makes things worse, as it fails and falls flat too, along with the rest of the train wreck of a script. In fact, they would’ve been better off being silent protagonists, or better yet- having never been dreamed up in the first place.

Having successfully ignored the story, you will quickly begin to notice that the gunplay and other gameplay mechanics are mostly mediocre as well. None are really great, but also, on the other hand, not all are as terrible as the completely irredeemable story which goes beyond terrible and bridges the gap all the way into the ‘Tartarus’ zone. The gunplay is typical first person shooter fanfare, minus most fanfare, as it is pretty standard and operates just about like an older Call of Duty game or Medal of Honor title- say European Assault, or CoD 3 era… The regenerating health and simplistic “covering” mechanics are pretty much as current-gen as you will find, because everything else can be found in last-gen shooters pretty much, which isn’t necessarily bad- just very, very out of date and out of time. You’ll miss the slight auto-aim that most games implement nowadays, as annoyingly enough there is no assistance whatsoever to be had in Deadfall, and the controls are barely functional enough to make their way to line the crosshairs up on targets anyways.

“Check out all the realistic blood around my eyes!”

The framerate is scarily shoddy and lags immensely whilst in the process of saving or during heavy combat encounters, which often results in reloading the last checkpoint or death- resulting therefore in a mixture of rinse and repeat over and over and over each time. If you didn’t know the definition of insanity before, this may help you to find out firsthand. Speaking of the saving and whatnot helping to hang you up at checkpoints as well…yeah, there really aren’t very many checkpoints to be spoken for, and those that do appear are in some pretty bad locations. Hopefully though, you’re ready for what will basically be a full-game speedrun, because it’s essentially Iron Skull-on all the time here, and if you die…well…you’re screwed my friend. All I can say is watch the corners- those boobytraps are a real mother.

Now, on a note about traps and other environmentally placed hazards and such dangerous things, please take careful note that these rare (I jest) instruments of pain and misfortune are incredibly more potent than your standard foes, and will often send you to Davey Jones’ locker for good if you aren’t attentive to your surroundings. So take care and tread lightly. As for your enemies, they won’t be much of a challenge once you’ve ‘mastered’ the crappy aiming and can gun them down with relative ease, or at least as easily as the poorly constructed and tuned controls will allow. In this, the controls and enemy AI both reminded me of the poorly thought out 007 Legends, which is not a strong or even good comparison for any game to be made akin to, so beware.

The enemy AI is programmed smartly enough to aim for your general location and take you out with deadly ‘efficiency,” however, strangely enough, they are also stupid enough to stand in plain sight as they do so- making dispatching them easy if you know what to do and avoid taking too much fire and having to reload a really far off checkpoint. Funny enough, it is only when they take cover that they are hindered by the mortal coil and them become stormtroopers who, true to that title, suck at shooting anything down but can dodge plenty of blasterfire themselves. For the most part, your enemies function exactly the same in combat, providing no real challenge until you discover the undead mummies chasing you around as well. As if things weren’t bad enough already.

The mummy AI is a little different than the other enemies, though no better in the long run, aside from providing a thankfully different combat approach and a slight bit of tactics and strategy as well- though I must stress that it is a very small amount of strategy and still can be accomplished with brainless shooting that would make Captain Price and crew proud. Simply shine your flashlight on mummies Alan Wake style and then fire away with a continual hail of bullets and eventually they will fall to the ground, slightly deader than they already were and with more lead in them as well. That’s about it in terms of the ‘special’ additions required to take these tougher foes out, though you’re also welcome to try your hand with a combat knife as well- though I can guarantee you the knife mechanic is laughable at best in most cases and slower than Black Ops 1′s, which is amazingly possible somehow.

“The flashlight- still better than most of the guns.”

The only other real gameplay mentionable in Deadfall Adventures is the puzzle gameplay which is really, truthfully less puzzling and more head-bangingly annoying instead. Whereas these moments could’ve been the relatively saving grace of an otherwise totally mediocre game, they instead made it just as mediocre as before without really helping in any way other than lengthening the so-called “story” and campaign. Most puzzles don’t really require much thought and aren’t so much puzzles as simple shifts in the game’s pace- such as shooting marked objects and rearranging tiles to match a certain pattern for example. Others are pretty much impossible to figure out without countless hours of retrying them or looking them up on the internet or blind luck. I won’t even begin to explain some of the most obscure answers I finally found on my way through the game, as they are pretty insane indeed.

Thank goodness we at least have the prophetic in-game journal ready with mostly unhelpful or game-ruining hints and the occasionally decent tip as well. The one decent thing about the puzzles is that they at least allow you access to treasure which in turn fuels your upgrades, adding to your health, power, and other small categories in different ways. Nothing game-changing or really memorable, but nothing nearly as terrible as what I’ve seen in the rest of the game, so it can’t be all too terrible after all, I guess… Just be aware that pretty much any place with treasure or puzzles is guaranteed to have a plethora of cunning (more like poorly placed) traps to take you out in one fell swoop and send you packing your bags back to thirty minutes earlier, at the last checkpoint.

As with many games these days, this one has its fair share of bugs and assorted glitches- ranging from the hilarious and degrading to the strange and slightly insane. Your screen shakes and quakes whenever you near an object that the developers apparently thought you wouldn’t ever touch for whatever reason, causing you to panic and get the heck out of dodge generally, as you have no idea what the hell is going on. You’ll constantly be able to magically reload your dual wielded weapons inexplicably, though you are still holding them in both hands- don’t ask me how, as Quartermain is obviously a superhuman, albeit the worst I’ve ever met. And another strange occurrence I witnessed was some oddly untextured, floating head and gun that yelled at me like any other enemy and proceeded to shoot me to death. I just stood there stunned because I was too busy laughing and later wondering just how an entirely untextured character made it into the game, and much less- why he was missing anything below his head…

As if things couldn’t get any worse, the game also features an obscene amount of multiplayer and cooperative content- as if anyone would thoroughly enjoy the game enough to play it, though I suppose there are always a few people who manage to enjoy crappy games out there. Survival mode is mostly forgettable, though once you’ve accomplished the task of completing the campaign itself, survival is a walk in the park and not as buggy by comparison- though it is a direct clone of basically every survival mode out there and not unique at all.

The other team-based and objective-based modes are just as non-unique, though they can actually prove to be decently amusing at the least, if not actually fun at times. They are pretty much your standard fare of team deathmatch, capture the flag, and a few other content based modes that are direct copies of other ones as well. So don’t expect much in the way of creativity, or new maps, as those are mostly pulled directly from areas in the campaign itself as well, for added insult to injury.

“If they ever make a sequel, I will dual wield middle fingers to ward it off.”

Seeing as I doubt very many people play this game to begin with, especially with all the negative reviews of it on pretty much every site out there, it is hard to believe that anyone would really take the time to play a sub-standard multiplayer component anyway in such a forgettable title. Plus, the quality itself and the fact that nobody really has heard of the tittle all the way up until it’s release is a telling factor as well, I’d say. Deadfall Adventures had an honorable and thoughtful goal of mixing elements of shooters and puzzles together, but it totally falls flat and fails to be really fun or even remotely pleasing in most aspects. Some moments may pique your interest slightly, but the Medal of Honor games of old are much better done than this so-called ‘new” shooter. Don’t waste your money on it, bottom line. I’d even recommend the heavily-flawed Turning Point: Fall of Liberty over this game, as that one is six years old and about five dollars or so.

Concept: Copy Indiana Jones and fail, fail, fail.

Graphics: Though the environments are all pretty bland and cliched in their own right, the graphics aren’t really that bad at a distance. When you get up close however, objects are blurry and things look muddied as they run into one another as well.

Sound: The voice acting is pretty bad and forgettable, but the soundtrack is average and not too bad overall- reminding me more than once of better adventure games.

Playability: The gameplay is often marred by lag and framerate issues, and the controls don’t allow much in the way of actual control, which makes things harder than they should be and very inaccurate in the activation of items and the shooting or otherwise dispatching of foes.

Entertainment: Though I am almost positive nearly nobody recalls the Quartermain novels of old, and wouldn’t be caught dead playing this game even if they did, the adventure story doesn’t feel very adventurous or even remotely very much fun, and I too wouldn’t want to be associated with it.

Hey there folks. It's been a little while since I wrote an actual review here, so I'll start with this one, an appropriate place to start as any on the first of a new year. I've had my time to play through the start of Telltale's second season of their The Walking Dead series of episodic storytelling, and Clem manages to hold her own- which is great characteristically and for the title as well. It leaves me looking forward to a hopeful remainder of a second season of episodes, and to what else may come. We've dipped our toes in the water with season one, so Telltale is pulling even less punches this time around, as should be easily recognizable from the beginning episode of season two "All That Remains". Seriously, no punches are pulled this time around- as if many were last time anyways. I was interested as to how they would manage to do it, but so far Telltale has, as far as I can see, managed to incorporate the "Clem will remember that" moments from last season's antics, as well as any other people you encounter from that season here. So, the narrative continues, even if it is picking up where Lee's tale left off, sad as that was (*spoiler!).

Now, I'm going to try to do this review without spoiling much, or anything- if at all possible, so try to cut me a little bit of slack if I seem to be getting vaguer and vaguer as we go through, as there is much to be discussed and hopefully not thoroughly spoiled for those of you who have not had the pleasure of experiencing and playing just yet. Though mainly due to procrastination I have not completely finished my anthology-ish review of the complete first season, as I have left off its episode five, my overall score for that season was a highly commendable 8.75 and I also gave the 400 Days epilogue/season bridge an 8.5 as well. This having been said, while you may think I am giving this first episode a relatively "weak" numerical score in comparison to the others of the strong first season and fine interlude, I have thoroughly enjoyed this episode and been harsher with my grade of the same problems that I was able to concede were "rookie" first season mistakes, that also appeared here in some instances. All in all, this is the Clementine roadshow now, and although she was a focal point and character of importance in the first season as well, she truly begins to spread her wings and fly this time around.

I suppose this particular episode could have very well been titled something ironic along the lines of "Growing Pains" as that would be true both in terms of Clementine's bid for survival amongst her fellow companions and the zombie apocalypse, as well as her evolution as a young girl and character. Twisted ironies aside, the zombie apocalypse is no cake walk- particularly for a girl barely striking double digits. Clementine, as with but on a somewhat slower-paced and smaller scale than Carl (Chandler Riggs) from the television counterpart, is forced to grow up much faster than normal. "All That Remains" finally gives players the full reins of control over Clem in her fight for survival, and bold though that is, it works just as well to their advantage- if not more so, than Lee's control ever did. No longer quite so naive and gullible as she once was, in no small part thanks to the horrors she has already witnessed- multiple zombies feasting, cannibalism, and much, much more, Clementine finally stands on her own, mostly without the support of a father-like figure, and fights for herself and her new-found companions. It's good to see that she can be her own person, small though she may seem, and a larger than life character in her own right. I can only hope, in a paternal type of way, that Telltale doesn't have the guts to kill her off in the near future as well, though sadly I wouldn't put it past them...

Players who purchase this particular episode are finally able to see what we've all been speculating deliriously about since the ending of season one and the hints added by 400 Days: just what Clem's been up to and where she is at as well as how she is faring on her own. New and returning faces make appearances (two guesses who, on the returning side, as I am sure it has already been spoiled for you here or elsewhere), and new problems arise because of these and other encounters. The characters remain similarly shaped to the archetypes of the first seasons' but also allow for some more room to grow and some more multifaceted growth and change in the ways they will interact with different players' choices as well along the way. This only improves an already gripping and replayable experience, even at the expense of starting off virtually the same as many characters from last season (Larry, Kenny, etc). The plot twists and turns in some great ways- bringing to mind some of the highlights and most questionable moments of season one, while retaining the sense of despair (not always overwhelmingly so, but close), and seeming brutally realistic and fresh at the same time.

Some of the new characters aren't as accepting as others of Clem or other travelers and survivors they come across, but with time, that is made a little more clear- and may be made more so in the future as well. I did like that, while some seem to be cut from the same mold as characters from season one in more ways than one, they aren't direct copies as there is a lot different and broader array of folks this time around- from pregnant women on. Ironically, instead of pitying this particular pregnant woman, I disliked her the most initially of the new group Clementine interacts with, hormones or not- her actions were just plain unacceptable at times, and cruel to boot. Most of the more action-packed moments are recycled from season one, though in different tropes and settings thanks to Clem's journey made between seasons as well. Killing zombies, attacking survivors, talking to the more unstable members of the cast, and scavenging for supplies make up the bulk of the non-story related gameplay. Because of Clementine's vulnerability and youth, she is both gifted with the ability to appeal to older folks more readily at times, and also at their mercy when it comes to being trusted with weapons and defending herself. Not that she's as gung-ho about murdering folks as the borderline sociopath Carl is becoming, but you catch my drift I see...

There's a little bit more riding on your (rather, Clem's) shoulders this time around, as- instead of further developing Lee's mysterious character, you are deciding just how Clementine is going to grow up, and whether she's going to be a cold, calculating character, or a respectable survivor. It's good to vary your tactics in speech however, and not follow one complete path, as Telltale realistically weaves a narrative where it is impossible to feel satisfied with every choice and to always choose one response type each time. No matter which direction you go- sassy or polite to your elders and peers, they will react mostly to your looks and age more so than your experience- though in the apocalypse, ironically enough you have the same or more so even than the adults in your group. Thankfully, one of the biggest sticking points of the first season has been improved, though not completely remedied and fixed- by which I am of course referring to the action sequences. These feel a little bit more fluid, and take their cues from the successful action of The Wolf Among Us this time around, instead of the first season's brand of button pushing. As a small girl, it is unrealistic to be able to force your way out of situations, so most encounters are made more harrowing by the fact that you must constantly be on your guard and ready to flee from your attackers. Oh, and don't think that just because Clem is a poor little girl in the apocalypse means the punches are pulled either, as you can get her killed just as easily- if not more so than Lee, and it is ten times worse to observe the pains she has to go through just to survive as well. At least she still has her hands for now though...

Aside from a few smaller moments that have obviously been remembered, Telltale is mostly tight lipped in this first episode in regards to your consequences and decisions carrying over from last season's episodes, however, that only leaves more room for what comes later on in this season- so I'm not too disappointed as of yet. I'm more interested in seeing what the future holds for Clem and her companions than dwelling on the bloodstained past as it is. New obstacles and foes are on the horizon and are slowly being discovered, and I loved that thus far while many questions have been somewhat or totally answered, others are just now rearing their ugly little heads as well in classic The Walking Dead form. We may never know why the zombie apocalypse happened in the first place, but hey- some things just never change anyways... The biggest letdown and simultaneously interesting point is that the first episode of this second season relies a little too much on the foundations set by the successful first one, without having as much to spread its own wings as a result. However, it does usher in new faces and new content, and therefore is a success in my mind regardless of score due to this.

At the very least, being able to see things from a fresh, younger perspective keeps this otherwise overly similar moments more tense, exciting, and new- even if they are inevitably cut from virtually the same seasonal cloth as the first encounters. I'm loving that it's still The Walking Dead, it's still quite up in the air and unsure just who will live and die, and it's still as tense as ever though. That's all a fan can ask for. I am also equally eager to see and getting ready to cringe at just what is going to continue to happen to Clem especially in the coming episodes, and just how dark these days might get as well...

Concept: Take control of the darling Clementine this time around, with no Lee to save you or otherwise spare you from the horrible reality that is the zombie apocalypse from the mind of Robert Kirkman and the folks at Telltale weaving this new tale.

Graphics: The dark tone, yet comic look is much the same as the original season and the 400 Days episode without much change aside from some lighting and angled effects.

Sound: The tense and dreary tones continue to inspire and instill fear and anxiety in the hearts of even the most ready zombie apocalypse survivors.

Playability: The controls work a little bit better in action sequences, but are largely the same as their season one counterparts in handling and layout.

Entertainment: Although whether or not it is entertainment or moral torture is not clear, even now, the captivating world and continued cast of colorful characters astounds.

Killzone: Shadow Fall is a different game than its console series predecessors, but that is in no way a bad thing at all. It is set in the same universe and story arc as the previous three games, though it picks up nearly thirty years after the events of the earth-shattering third game. The series now looks better than ever, which is a real testament to the hardware involved from the Play Station 4, and the gameplay is as good or better than ever- stepping up even from Killzone 3's magnificent mechanics. It doesn't outright come out and say it is Killzone 4, but we all know it is, and the telltale sign is that it is bigger, bolder, and better than ever before. It may not have the same massive level of outright warfare on each front as its previous three titles, but there's certainly the same explosive and dangerous force to be had in this cold war campaign as well...and I was more scared because of that.

New characters, new locales, and new enemies comprise the new campaign, and while it has as many or more tense shootouts as before, it is more difficult than ever due to the often solo missions and stealth oriented campaign as well, under the cloak of a Shadow Marshal. The Helghast return as secondary antagonists, though they do have some big bads in the fight as well. The main antagonist is actually the palpable conflict between the Vektans and Helghast themselves, as it sometimes seems to be an enemy itself. By the end of the game, as with many cold wars, you aren't quite sure is is friendly and who is your enemy- which is quite possibly the scariest thing I've encountered in a game to date. After all, normally it's pretty clear who's a friend and who is your foe in most games, but here...I'm still not quite one hundred percent sure after the ending just where people stand for the next game coming up...

Both the Helghast- the previous major antagonistic force in the series, and the Vektans- the species under siege, now share the same planet and city in Vekta City. The vast majority of your missions will take place in this sprawling area, though not all will be on your side of The Wall- a giant precipice in the middle of the city, separating the New Helghan portion from the Vektan portion like a futuristic Berlin Wall. For one major area being the backdrop for activities in the campaign, Vekta City has some varied environments, and the attention to detail in each area is impressive as well- whether you are engaging Helghast forces in a crowded central station or stealthily sneaking through New Helghan slums in the dead of night unarmed. You won't be limited to Vektan locales though, as you will find yourself in space and on a foreign world as well for at least part of the campaign, which clocks in around ten to twelve hours total.

The Killzone series is one that, while for the most part it has always chosen to engage in up front and direct firefights than involve stealth or vehicle sections, has had a plethora of well thought out and controlled sections for these other types of combat and locomotion as well. Shadow Fall proves to be at the same time no different and very different, as it does have its fair share of open firefights, but for the most part relies on stealthy advances through enemy territory, and cautious approaches. Shadow Fall however, also does have a few vehicle segments, which- like the sixth mission in Halo Reach (Long Night of Solace), provide an excellent break from the otherwise soon to be monotonous shooting of the campaign. Another key element of the campaign that not only will save your life quite a few times, but keeps things interesting, is the personal OWL drone that will follow you around throughout combat in most sections of the game. Think of it as a better version of Halo 4's turret ability.

The OWL hovers nearby and does everything from providing covering fire to flanking enemies for you in order to give you some breathing space before retaliating yourself. The OWL has several different functions in the form of four standard modes: offensive, shielding, hacking, and navigation. You can deploy a lifesaving shield when you are low on health and near death, also like Halo 4's light shield ability; you can go on the offensive and order the drone to lay down some covering fire; you can have the drone hack into computer systems and gain valuable intelligence for you; and it can also be deployed to set up strategically located ziplines around the environment as well. All in all, this little guy is a handy, trusty tool to be utilized to proceed to the next objective with relative ease.

Killzone: Shadow Fall's overall experience looks beautiful, plays nicely, and also, for an added and rare bonus- especially these days with shooters, comes bundled with a very well put together story, and an overall quite enjoyable experience. As I mentioned previously, the campaign is around the ten to twelve hour mark, especially if you approach most situations in a stealthy manner. The lore is further expanded and replayability amped up by the fact that the game also sports dead drops and other rare collectibles to expand upon series lore. Each objective is pretty unique, and you won't often see them being recycled throughout the game aside from a few instances, which is really quite nice as well. As with most games, there are the occasional few scenarios or portions that can be quite difficult to run through and prove frustrating for players, but thankfully these are few and far between, and I only really found about three on my playthroughs with the game. You're most often to find yourself in trouble when you are going in solo without any companions or the OWL for support, so it only makes sense that the series' already slightly higher level of difficulty would only increase.

On a multiplayer note- something that was finally included in Killzone 3 and very enjoyable, if underplayed as a successful multiplayer goes, Shadow Fall evolves the series' formula even more and is quite successful as well. The OWL of course does not appear in this mode, as that would be pretty unfair to other players and make things more difficult and less bearable for players not using the drone to their advantage. However, classes are available which allow players to utilize drones for a short period of time between cooldown timers. The game may not have as many levels, stages, and various other management systems in place, but it does change things to revolve more around using certain weapons and combinations in order to level up aside from grinding for experience points each time. There are thousands of available challenges, and I actually liked this more "fair" method of advancement better than most other methods that involve unfair balancing and killstreaks employed.

There are plenty of enjoyable gameplay modes packaged within the game already, and I am sure they could add more in an update if they wanted as well, but the most different of all of the modes from generic deathmatch and team modes is the Warzone one. Warzone- true to its name, involves a hefty amount of objectives, explosions, and general insanity as things often change and the dynamic landscape is ever moving on its own or with player assistance. As in a real warzone, anything can change at the drop of a hat, and the same can be said here- the mode shifts from focusing on deathmatches to capturing rally points within the same match, and offers a great hybrid combination of most classic game types as well. However, if you would like to play classic match types as well, there are the usual team deathmatch, capture the flag, and straight up deathmatch modes as well. One such deathmatch mode even offers players a similar experience to Halo's SWAT mode- with less health, one rifle, and limited ammo. It is this and other frantic running and gunning experiences that characterizes the frenetic multiplayer mayhem present within the game, though it isn't as good as the story itself.

While there have been excellent titles from the getgo within this console series, and even within the handheld accompaniments of recent times, Killzone: Shadow Fall is second only to Killzone 3 in my mind, and rises above Killzone 2 and the original Killzone in so many ways. It beats each game in terms of visuals and competent gameplay, as well as evolving the still fresh multiplayer experience past anything I could've hoped for. This game is definitely the highlight of my Play Station 4 coverage and playing, and I wouldn't have missed it for anything else this year. It may not be receiving the best score of all from me, but I have enjoyed it a lot and the story alone provides so much of a replay value and time commitment as well. Shadow Fall makes me wish that the next game in the series would come sooner, and it is that excitement and anxiety that makes me love it all the more.

Concept: A great start to the next generation of shooters and games in general.

Graphics: Some of the best visuals and animations that I have seen in a long while, and something to set the standard for next generation games as well.

Sound: The voice acting isn't always the strongest, but the musical scores hit all the right vibes for a futuristic city perfectly.

Playability: The controls are well balanced and laid out, and the extraneous commands for the OWL and allies also fit in the mix without confusing players at all. In a series noted for its excellent controls, these are some of the best.

Entertainment: From the story to the gameplay, this is an exciting and entertaining adventure.

I was pleasantly surprised when Nintendo announced their intention to return to the setting of the classic Zelda game A Link to the Past, as was virtually everyone else I am almost certain. I was expecting mostly a slightly updated, yet entirely nostalgic port of the game to current handhelds (3DS, DS, etc.) yet it was different from the previous update the game was given in the form of its other Game Boy port several years ago. A Link Between Worlds may take place in the same Hyrule setting as A Link to the Past, and it may share several similarities with its cousin, yet it is a remarkably different game. I wouldn’t call this simply a graphical or ported update, simply because it does too much more than that, and for the most part keeps A Link to the Past’s experience alive in my mind, while blazing a new path as well. A Link Between Worlds ditches the flashiness of Spirit Tracks and even Phantom Hourglass in hopes of recapturing and rekindling the spirit of the older SNES games, and that is does- quite perfectly, while retaining its freshness of a new adventure at the same time.

I wasn’t quite expecting this to be the game which shook the formulaic foundations of the series, and yet here I stand marveling at some of the changes that it has made to an already established and sturdy formula. The first, and somewhat simplest gameplay change that comes to mind is the fact that you no longer have to seek out and find every single item in order to use it and progress through certain dungeons- thanks to Ravio’s trading shop system, you can now ‘rent’ items and complete dungeons in pretty much whatever order you want for the most part. If this doesn’t scream accessibility, then I don’t know what more you expect. A Link Between Worlds is undoubtedly one of the most open and accessible handheld titles out there, and one of the more open Zelda games as well. Even better, and still related to items, no longer must you buy or discover plethoras of arrows or mana points to power your items- instead, everything that requires ‘ammo’ or magic operates on a meter that replenishes itself over time. This is the simplest, most ingenious idea I’ve encountered as of yet in a Zelda game- since the ocarina and Wind Waker basically, and I love it. Sure, there are still limits to how many times you can use things before they need to cool down and replenish their stored energy, but that is so much better than searching in vain for one more bomb to pass a certain trial- only to have to exit to the store and come back to find the entire dungeon has “respawned” in your absence. A Link Between Worlds is the most open, accessible, and priority-quest driven Zelda game to date.

Renting items is probably the biggest formulaic change to the game series’ values, but that isn’t the only one present in A Link Between Worlds. I will talk about some of the other gameplay changes and updated elements later. When you die, your rented items are returned to Ravio’s shop, which means you have to repurchase them in order to utilize them yet again. However, this is far from the inconvenience you might think it would be. Items are rented relatively cheaply, although you can also buy them permanently- for a heftier price of course. That is one of my few complaints with the game, and one that I’ve noted several of my friends mentioning as well. Actually purchasing an item permanently costs an exorbitant amount of money- roughly one thousand rupees in some cases, which is pretty much the limit to what you can carry at any one time, and thoroughly cleans your wallet out like a Black Friday specials sale. However, that is a small inconvenience only, and as is a natural and reoccurring factor in life, it is sometimes better to pay more so that it saves you money in the long run. In fact, I’m almost positive that A Link Between Worlds is part Zelda game and part economic challenge.

What is pretty amazing is, despite the fact that most items are available to you at an early stage in the game, it still requires a lot of hard work, time, and thinking to find special heart piece containers and other rare items and collectibles scattered across Hyrule and the realm. Another dramatic change to the classic formula shows up (literally) in the form of the fact that you no longer have to worry about collecting or analyzing maps tediously, as the new dungeon layout shows up as soon as you enter a shadowy arena. Thankfully, this does not detract from the classic experience in the least- unless of course you are one of the people who simply loved reading and collecting hundreds of map fragments and critically analyzing them for secret areas. I thought not. Dungeons are filled with some of the most devious and complex traps to date, made better by the fact that they alternate between two and three dimensions- hints the title of the game, and that they offer as good or a better challenge than some of Link’s fully three dimensional console experiences. Seriously, the new and remodeled old dungeons alike are no pushover, even in the beginning stages.

In order to turn back to two dimensional viewpoints, Link learns an ability that allows him to turn into a drawing of himself and sidle along walls, around corners, and over previously uncrossable pits. If at first a puzzle seems all but impossible to solve, it’s probably a good bet that you have to mix three dimensional and two dimensional abilities in order to solve it. This definitely branches out from previous entries, opening up a whole new realm of possibilities- story wise and puzzle wise respectively. This new ability also isn’t limited to specific areas or dungeons alone, as the special items of past Zelda games have been. Now when you learn the ability, you will find yourself using it for the entire duration of your quest around Hyrule, and using it everywhere from open fields to the deepest catacombs. That certainly makes it far more than a simple gimmick or gameplay device, as it easily becomes an important, integral part of your abilities and items inventory, and the single most go-to option throughout the entire game.

The dungeon design is some of the best in recent history- and that includes the new and old dungeons, those making it from A Link to the Past, and those that are never before seen until now. The boss battles feel fresh and are more experimentation minded in that you no longer have to rely solely on that dungeon’s special item in order to defeat bosses, due to Ravio’s rent-an-item shop, and really makes for tons of replay value in that respect as well. There are so many different ways to approach each boss battle and dungeon now, meaning that inevitably, though you may be forced to use a specific item in some sections, you are free to do things your own way in most cases. Some of the best boss encounters were surprisingly not the makeovers of ALttP’s bosses- though those were great as well, but actually some of the newer bosses and also the final battle. The fact that you can find a way to use almost every item and even your newfound two dimensional abilities in boss encounters is just mind blowing in most cases.

As I may or may not have mentioned or even hinted at before, it is also really nice that- as with your free range of selection for items to carry, you are also allowed to visit any dungeon in any particular order you wish. Whether you start with the most memorable from your experiences with ALttP, or you want to try your hand at what used to be the hardest- it’s completely up to you! Even better, you an always rest easy knowing that you can progress despite being stuck in one particular dungeon, as you can always die and visit a completely new one instead of having to continue in the other one before you can advance. This not only makes the game much more appealing to varying levels of players with different skills, but also more fun and open over all- which brings us back full circle to accessibility of course.

There is a firmly stated connection to the past- both the past game, and throughout the story. However, the game is not firmly rooted in the past, and is far from a direct copy or even continuation of the previous game set in its particular Hyrule world. As Pokemon has been accused of several times, particularly in its first few games- the Zelda series has often been told that “each game is the same story, just a different setting” or ‘all the items and enemies are the same.” Obviously, from experience, while some are undoubtedly similar- especially on the handheld devices, we know this to be untrue. Tweaks to the old formula have made this game one of the best, and probably the best handheld Zelda adventure- beating out Spirit Tracks easily, and also edging out Phantom Hourglass and even its spiritual predecessor, A Link to the Past. It is easier to stomach, still maintains the difficulty and challenge though it opens things up more for players, and overall makes things much more enjoyable.

I’ll be the first to admit that the Zelda series is far from perfect, though I am a great advocate of the series- to my friends and to complete strangers alike. There are several things about this game that I was initially skeptical about, and some I am still not completely sold on, however- despite what you may perceive as a “low” score from me, I have few bad things to really say about A Link Between Worlds, and only constructive criticism to give Nintendo for it. The sense of greater freedom and lack of restrictions in terms of items and dungeons and exploration is a welcome and well-overdue change of pace, and visuals and soundtracks are as phenomenal and breathtaking as usual. It is not only a faithful retelling of an old story, but something new to add to the lore as well. Truly, this is a tale of two worlds colliding, and it should rank somewhere towards the top of the classic experiences in the series because of that, and the changes it has borne with ease.

Concept: Improve a classic by evolving the standard formula to include some revolutionary new tweaks, and work better because of it. Far from a simple rehashing of an already known tale.

Graphics: Limited only by the system limits of the handheld device(s) it is on, ALBW has beautiful scenery and a memorable Hyrule.

Sound: Soundtrack pieces both new and old make appearances and all sound classy and classic when mixed together to provide the basis for the game’s musical score.

Playability: The dungeons are well laid out and well crafted, each boss is a perfect fit and the battles aren’t too terribly boring, though maintaining the same level of challenge as before. There is plenty of new content, and this is far from a simple graphical update of the same story we’ve been told several times over. Handles excellently. New ideas work just as well as the old ones they are side by side with.

Entertainment: Boots A Link to the Past out of the number one or two handheld Zelda adventures in my mind, and it has only been out for a short period of time. I’d say that bodes pretty well for it.

In my mind, the last “true” Ratchet and Clank game was the 2009 or so release of Crack in Time, which was a really well thought out and intriguing story and game as a whole. Sure, there have been numerous release with the series’ trademark name on them, such as All 4 One, and Full Frontal Assault, however- these struck me as side stories more so than a true continuation of the saga. Thankfully, series creator Insomniac goes back to the original formula of blasting through vast alien hordes for this most recent installment in the generation spanning series, and while it is a little weaker than its brothers, it proves that some formulas just can’t be broken- I’m looking at you though Call of Duty, because you’ve way overdone that thought! As lighthearted as it is, and as the series has pretty much always been, Into the Nexus is yet another shining example of an action tale done right, and true to form. Who says it needs to include blood and guts to appeal to a broader audience?

Level and world design, and controls feel and look mostly the same as they have since the series’ inception, with a few minor tweaks and adjustments to be had here and there. Thankfully though, it is far from the same-old same-old, as there are many new gadgets and a broader inventory of alien weaponry to discover as well. If you thought you’d seen some insane weapons already, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised at what Insomniac throws in the mix with this newest title. In fact, one particular weapon is so powerful that it tears a mighty rift in the space between dimensions and unleashes hordes of your own enemies upon those you are currently battling. If that wasn’t enough, you can also combine several weapons and gadgets for truly devastating attacks that simultaneously horrify and cripple your robotic and alien opponents.

Clank makes his presence known in almost as classy a way as he did in his tuxedo-wearing form known as Secret Agent Clank, or whatever his name was…by detaching from Ratchet’s back for his own two dimensional platforming segments that are strikingly similar in concept to Terry Cavanagh’s VVVVVV. Clank can switch gravity so that he latches onto the ceiling, floor, and other objects in order to navigate areas and successfully finish puzzles and dodge traps. These platforming segments are pretty well spread out across the game, and serve as a little reprieve from constant action, though they provide their own type of nail-biting action and require different skills as well. They are also slightly more challenging than the rest of the game’s elements, adding a nice puzzle and difficulty factor to the package.

Some people have complained about Into the Nexus’ length- citing that it is “too short” of a game. However, I think this is not entirely true, though they are of course well within their bounds by formulating their own personal opinions. While it is not nearly as lengthy as some of the other games in the series, Into the Nexus contains its own brand of storytelling and diverse settings and items to be found and explored. For this, I think there is plenty of replay value, and that more than makes up for the roughly twelve hour story or so, which has been called “too short” and “brief” on its own. Combine this with the fact that there is also a little side content in the form of The Arena and its battles, and you’ve gotten yourself a neat little adventure bundle to play around with.

There are four major planets to explore, each with new modes of exploration opened up, and a plethora of collectible items to discover as you progress. New gadgets and weaponry available to you will make weapons gurus and completionists alike salivate profusely, and while half or more of the worlds seem pretty straight forward and linear at times, there are also side missions to be found and perused as well. As I mentioned earlier, there is also the Arena mode, although it is truly on the short side- as a leveled up Ratchet and Clank can easily take on the best that the Arena has to throw at players. The whole experience takes roughly ten to twelve hours, depending upon your play style and the speed or ease with which you best the story- first in the normal mode, then in the more challenging Challenge mode, which unlocks more powerful tools and weapons. The story is witty as ever, even if it doesn’t have many unpredictable twists in it. Thankfully, it is all but assured that Ratchet and Clank will have a great future on the next generation of play Station consoles and handhelds, as the ending all but assures us that there will be sequels upon sequels, and some of the bigger events of the game ensure that the battlefield may be a little different as well.

Into the Nexus doesn’t change the formula up too much, but manages to stay fresh and fun, even without the changes in pace and with a slightly shorter, less challenging experience as a whole. There’s one thing for certain, and that’s that you are definitely going to enjoy your experience, and be impatient until the inevitable next-generation sequel drops sometime in the future as well…

Concept: Use the series’ strong points to craft another adventure, this time returning to the classic formula that made it all possible to begin with. Not the strongest in the series, but far from the worst it has to offer in terms of gameplay and story features. There are plenty of side missions and extras to find as well, increasing replay value across the board.

Graphics: The same graphical designs show up, and they look as great as ever. Some textures may seem a little muddy as the explosions increase, but the level of physical damage shown on screen balances this out and is quite impressive as ever.

Sound: From the humming of your arsenal of weapons and gadgets to the musical soundtrack, the game sounds fun and exciting throughout.

Playability: The controls are unchanged for the most part, largely because they have always been one of the strongest points of the game, and that remains the case in this instance as well. The exploration is fun and interesting, especially in Clank’s segments, and the combat is fast-paced and exciting as usual.

Entertainment: They could’ve maybe done a little bit more with the game in terms of story, but you can’t get much better than the action-heavy and puzzle-solving content that they’ve got to offer you this time around. It’s a well-rounded sequel all in all.